How To Maintain Your Dusk To Dawn Yard Light Fixtures

What exactly is it that causes your yard lights to flash like crazy at night? Is it due to a broken wire or a faulty switch? Or is it something more sinister?

In this brief article, we'll uncover all you need to know regarding lawn care, dusk to dawn yard light problems, maintenance suggestions, and more.

Why Don't Your Lights Work?

If your yard has moonlight or unexpected dawn lights, chances are they are not working correctly. This is because a faulty fuse may trip the circuit breaker for your yard light, to begin with. If a circuit breaker is tripped, the power will shut off instead of continuing to the following list.

For houses with multiple circuit breakers, this can create a domino effect, where one breaker malfunctions and the power to several lights go out simultaneously. This can cause total blackout conditions in your property, rendering any light fixtures inoperable.

Faulty Wire Gauge

The wires used to power your lights use a different wire gauge than the bulbs they're plugged into. When you purchase a new bulb, it's equipped with a wire gauge label, so you can quickly determine what size wire you should use to power your fixture.

However, many of us don't bother to check these labels and accidentally purchase a more expensive wire size than what we need. As a result, the bulbs burn out more quickly than intended, resulting in less bright light for your yard. To prevent this from happening, keep an eye on the wire sizes when you purchase your lights.

The Use of Ballasts

Another common issue with yard lights is that they use ballasts, similar to fuse boxes used in ballasts for household electrical circuits. While ballasts are very useful in preventing shorts in the power line, they are also prone to overheating and exploding. If you see any signs of overheating or blowing out, replacing the ballast with a new one is highly recommended.

Similarly, if you see your moonlighting ballasts blowing up or breaking under extreme heat, it is highly recommended that you get a new bulb immediately.

Be Extra Careful When You Buy Next Time

Low voltage moonlights tend to be more expensive than their warm white counterparts, so you'll want to make sure that you are purchasing a bulb with the same voltage as your lights. This ensures that your lumens lighting will work at maximum efficiency and produce the lightest for your dollar.

It is also essential to buy a low voltage bulb that matches the wattage of your moonlighting lights. Unfortunately, while this may seem like common sense, many people mistakenly purchase bulbs that are too high voltage for their lights, which can cause damage instead of saving them money.

Proper Maintenance of Your Lights

In addition to proper sizing, proper care, and replacement, you'll also need to take special care when handling your dusk to dawn lighting fixtures. For instance, you must read all documentation carefully before unplugging the fixture because the wires are attached to the ballast.

You should also never connect a dimmer switch to the ballast since you don't want the wires to become hot while the bulb is being charged. Finally, keep the ballasts safe by keeping them out of the sun; don't leave them in your garage or shed.

Other Helpful Methods

You can find many different options for these fixtures that come in a variety of styles and colors. Some people like to paint their light fixtures, while others prefer to keep them simple and leave them as natural as possible. If you have susceptible skin, then you might want to consider painting your outdoor light fixtures. This can be done relatively quickly and is a great way to protect your skin without causing problems.

Take Note:

Many people interested in learning how to maintain their dusk to dawn yard light fixtures need to consider how the lights work. The light is created by a combination of a lamp and a battery.

The lamp is on in the early morning and turns off at night. The battery is on in the late morning and turns on again in the evening. This means that if you were ever accidentally running out of the battery, you would need to know how to restore the functionality of the lights to get them turned back on.